i'm the president and ceo of the richard nixon foundation. it's my honor to welcome you to our east room. we would like to begin as we always do. please rise for the presentation of the colors and the singing of the national anthem.

i'm the president and ceo of the richard nixon foundation. it's my honor to welcome you to our east room. we would like to begin as we always do. please rise for the presentation of the colors and the singing of the national anthem. >> present arms. >> ♪ oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight' o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪ [applause] >> please, be seated. we have a lot to do and a lot of special guests to thank before we get going tonight. you will hear in a couple of moments from rhonda johnson, the president of at&t california. at&t is the cosponsor of today's events, which have been going on since the 5k race for space this morning. celebrating 50 years ago. i have hear

sandy quinn, he is a member of our board, former nixon foundation president.ctor. mike also makes the trains run here in the national archives records association. a terrific partner with the foundation. alberto sa alber alberto sandoval, thank you for being here. bill long, legendary disney promoter, friend of the nixon foundation, now on the anaheim transit authority. glad to have you. supervisor don wagner and his wife judge megan wagner, please stand up and say hello. [ applause ] >> we have with us sara catalan the chief of staff to the california senator. and my friend lucy dunn from the orange county business council. where are you, lucy? there she is. if anything happened to tim she was going to do the national anthem and she didn't even know it. i want to thank francis french, an apollo historian who spoke earlier in the library theater today about the personalities of neil armstrong, michael collins and buzz aldrin. buzz will be with us on tuesday night thanks to american happenings. it's great to have francis here today to discuss them. jason silver

nixon foundation cohosted this event for the moon landing's 50th anniversary. >> good evening, ladies and gentlemen. as people continue to wander in, we are going to get started because we have a hard queue at 8:48.

my name is jim byron, i'm the executive vice president of the richard nixon foundation and it is always a pleasure to welcome you all here to the beautiful nixon library in orange county, california. i like to thank all of your president society members for joining us and if you're a remember, would you please stand up and be recognized. come on, there's couple of you here. there we go thank you. [applause] >> the president society is an exclusive group of members that supports the ongoing works of president nixon's foundation which applies to the legacy and the vision he had to opportunities facing the nation or world. if you are interesting in joining me, track me done on an associate and anybody can get you signed up. want to tell you but a few special events. on august 20th, we'll host mollie hemingway and carrie severino for the new amazon number one best seller, justice on trial, but the kavanaugh supreme court hearings. on september 11th, we'll host two programs, the first is an annual commemoration of patriot day, and then we'll host supreme court justice neil gorsuch that eveni

bill lawn, legendary disney promoter, friend of the nixon foundation.we're glad to have you. supervisor dawn wagner and his wife judge meghan wagner. please stand up and say hello. [ applause ] >> we have with us sarah catalan and anthony johnson, representative of assemblyman philip chen and my friend and cantor lucy dunn. if anything happened to tim, she was going to do the national anthem and she didn't even know it. i want to thank francis french. we had three special speakers today. francis french is an apollo historian who spoke earlier today about the personalities of neil armstrong, michael collins and buzz aldrin. buzz will be with us on tuesday night. it's great to have him here today, francis to discuss them. jason silverman is at spacex. he spoke about the future of space travel today. though he's not here with us now, i want to acknowledge doug paul for inspiring comments. doug was the at&t plant manager general control in new york. he had a key role in making the connections from the earth to the moon that we're talking tonight. and he act

thank you are not only myself but on the richard nixon presidential library and museum, richard nixon foundationy indebted to you. thank you for your service.pp [applause] a recipient of the distinguished flying cross. tonight special guest speaker is one that won the title of hero.' a title earned noter only a brod fighting in the skies high above world war ii theater of war but also at home as an african-american prevailing in the face of racism. at 17 years old harry t stewart junior signed up for war service volunteering before being drafted. he had tohe fit in a segregated rail car on the journey to basic training in 1943 but in two years time would be at the control of the mustang with the distinct makings many of his fellow servicemembers will get a sigh of relief especially when an escort in the belly of a b-17 or be 24 bomber and the markings were of course named for the tuskegee airmen, the first african american military aviators in history of the united states armed forces. the red tails.ry colonel stewart was 40 blue 43 combat missions amassing an outstanding record which included b

my name is jim, i'm the executive vice president of the richard nixon foundation. it's always a pleasure to welcome you all here to the beautiful library in orange county, california. i'd like to think our numbers were training us this evening. if you are a member, stand up and be recognized. come on, there's a couple of you here. there we go. [applause] it's an exclusive group of members who support the ongoing quirks of president nixon's foundation which applies the legacy and vision that he had two opportunities facing our nation in the world today. if you're interested in joining, track me down. anybody can get you signed up this evening. i'd like to tell you about a few special offense, august 20, their new amazon number one bestseller, justice on trial about the kavanaugh supreme court hearings. september 11, we will host two programs, first as an annual commemoration of patriots' day and then we will host supreme court justice or such that evening. 7:00 p.m. for discussion within 60 foundation. finally september 13, general james will appear in conversation.

the president and ceo of the richard nixon foundation. it is my honor to welcome you to the east room. please rise foe

the nixon foundation, which i'm not an officer or a director, the nixon foundation as a bifurcated view of watergate. half the people think nixon will never get a fair shake if we don't attack, attack brutally, shepard's done all the work, charge. and the other half says we're never going to win that battle, public opinion is hardened and my book says one of the sad lessons of history is once people have been bamboozled they don't want to be convinced of the other side. we're wasting our time and money. we'd be better to talk about nixon's accomplishments. and honestly, my best friends, 40 years we served on the white house staff together, really good friends, i'll spend easter with one and have lunch with the other on tuesday, they're on opposite sides. and i don't blame them. i understand the dilemma. i'm -- i'm a dangerous friend. and what i have, because it's so hard to explain. we've got 18 hours, you know, and i don't think -- i don't think i've made the case i hoped to make when i started. you're very kind. we will see you next week. remember, next week we talk current events. so

the nixon foundation which i'm not an officer or director, the nixon foundation has a view of watergate. half of the people think that nixon will never get a fair shake if we do not attack brutally and shepherd he's done all of the work charged. the other half says we will never win that battle. public opinion is hardened. my book said that once people have been bamboozled they don't want to be convinced of the other side and we are wasting our time and money and it would be better to talk about nixon's accomplishments. honestly, my best year, we were really good friends and i will spend easter with one lunch with the other. they are on opposite sides, and i do not blame them. i understand the dilemma. i am a dangerous friend. and what i have because it is so hard to explain, we've got 18 hours and i do not think, i don't think i've made the case that i hope to make. you are very kind and we will see you next week. read the new york times. watch your tv. >> [ applause ] >> lectures in history. american artifacts. real america. the civil war. oral histories. the presidency. special event

gentlemen another round of applause. [ applause ] >> please check back for future events with the nixon foundationnd we'll see you next time. >>> all week, we're featuring american history tv programs as a preview of what's available every weekend on c-span3. the lectures in history. american artifacts. reel america. the civil war. oral histories. the presidency. and special event coverage about our nation's history. enjoy american history tv now and every weekend on c-span3. >>> tonight on "the communicators." >> people come up to me and they say, sir, i can't -- i can't get you. i can't follow you. they make it impossible. these are people that are really good at what they do. they say they make it absolutely impossible. >> we'll talk about the recent presidential social media summit where president trump discusses social media censorship by big tech firms and what should be done about it with robert bluey and patrick hedger from the competitive enterprise institute. >> i think as consumers, we can certainly demand that as users of facebook and twitter and google that if we're going to be on tha

the nixon foundation gave the use of the nixon library to the national archive. and the national archives agreed they'd put the papers out there. so while the laws that govern it are slightly different. it's now a real presidential library. and if you want to listen to the tapes onsite, you go there to lob yorba linda. and if you want to listen to it, you go there, to the prosecutor, because they weren't working on the white house staff. so you could do it there. or two sites online. and we'll come back to them in a few minutes and you can listen to the tapes, if you want. okay. what about nixon's system? well, every person since 1940 has used recording devices. franklin roosevelt, when he held a press conference, he'd call in the written press. talk to them in the oval office. they'd go and write stories. and he'd get upset because they wouldn't say what he said. they'd change the stuff. so he had a naval corpsman sit in an air conditioning staff under the oval office taking shorthand of what he said, and he was ultimately replaced by a west ti westinghouse came

the nixon foundation gave the use of the library to the national archives and they believe agreed they would put the papers out there. so while the laws that govern it are slightly different it's now a real presidential library and if you want to listen to the tapes on site you go there. if you want to listen to the tapes in washington you go to college park maryland where there are papers of the special prosecutor not working on white house staff. you could do it there or you could go online. and you can listen to the tapes. if you want. what about nixon's system? every president since 1940 has used recording devices. when franklin roosevelt held a press conference he would call the written press, talk to them, and they would write stories. he'd get upset because they wouldn't say what he said. they changed stuff. so he had a navy corpsman taking shorthand of what he said and was ultimately replaced by a westinghouse camera based on a wire rope. a wire that was both a movie camera and audio recording. they only wanted the recording and there are still some of those but not the device

[applause] >> please allow me to express a thank you of the richard nixon library and museum and the foundationwe are truly indebted to you. thank you for your service. [applause] the recipient of the distinguished flying cross our speaker once the title of hero earned not only a broad high above the world war ii theater but also at home as an african-american prevailing h in the face of racism. is 17 years old signing up before being drafted. sitting in the segregated railcar in 1943 but into yours time with the p-letter 51 mustang that many would give us i relief in the belly of the b 24 bomber. those of the famed tuskegee airmen the first african-american aviators in the history of the armed forces. colonel stewart amassing an outstanding record which included one of only two tuskegee airmen with four aerial victories in one day three german aircraft was taken down april 1st, 1945 moderatingir the discussion is retired air force colonel scott serving for nearly three decades in the united states air force. isis career took him to 19 different assignments around the world that included those

nixon -- the next in foundation finally decided it could not store the papers anymore, give them to the government. -- as ae guy paging great biographer says, turn every page. i came across these notes. there were two great white whale and one wasistory watergate and the other was this affair. when you go to ocean city in the summertime, when we did, you set up a card table and dropped a 1200 piece jigsaw pill -- jigsaw puzzle and on rainy days or with coffee in the morning, or at night, everyone goes by and tries to put in a few pieces of the puzzle. it was my privilege to get this piece. >> i lived through the vietnam war. that nixon,pression right after the war, used it as a campaign [indiscernible]. is that correct? vietnamhad to address but the question is did next and drag out the vietnam war for his own political purposes? and i really had to study it. the best that can be said for next and is that he and kissinger coldly, immediately identified vietnam as a backwater and for all of the money and lives being spent there, was not as important as the big game of thrones he was play

. >> the ronald reagan foundation said if he said that 50 years ago, he shouldn't have, and he would be the first person to apologize. nixon, reagan called william rogers and adopted reagan's racist language. >> later that month nixon laughed at the comments from his best friend beebe rah b-- rah bw sew. >> that reaction on television was that it proves how they ought to be still hanging from the trees by their tails. >> even in 1971 that language would have shocked the general public. president trump has been under fire for his racist tweets. in an interview he told c-span he's the least racist person there is in the world. paula reid, cbs news, the white house. >>> we're following breaking news in kentucky where a ruptured gas line caused a massive explosion. it happened overnight in lincoln county about an hour outside lexington. at least one person was killed. several homes caught fire and have been destroyed. several evacuees took shelter at a local church. >>> experts are trying to find d fire ate fied they of baown. shelte-place wning had been issued forcommunities around the plant but had been lifted. the facilitie

reagan had phoned nixon at the white house to vent his frustration at african delegates who celebrated the vote: ( laughter ) >> the ronald reagan presidential foundation said, "if he said that 50 years ago, he shouldn't have, and he would be the first person to apologize." >> trevor: he would be the first person-- you should be the only person to apologize. what does that mean? it would be weird if we was like, "well, i'll apologize, but only if those monkeys apologize first." what a strange thing to say. also they're like, "if he said"-- there's a recording! he said the thing. so now that that recording has come out ronald reagan will have to be canceled which is going to be hard because life canceled him first. it takes a lot of work to cancel a dead person, you have to hold a seance, summon their spirit back. ronald reagan, we have called to tell you "bye, felicia." now ronald reagan officially has a racist asterisk next to his name. woodrow wilson was a segregationist. andrew jackson wiped out native americans. thomas jefferson had sex with his slaves. and george h.w. bush shot tupac. you yeah, i said it. prove me wrong. on the one hand, it is dis

foundation said today, "if he said that 50 years ago, he shouldn't have. and he would be the first person to apologize." after talking with reagan, nixonsecretary of state william rogers and adopted reagan's racist langua >> reporter: later that month, nixon laughed at these comments from his best friend bebe rebozo. >> reporter: even in 1971, that language would have shocked the general public. president trump has, of course, bume under fire for his racist tweets, but he said yesterday he is "the least racist person there is in the world." norah. aula'donnell: all right, paula reid at the white house. if you're keeping track, it's eust under 66 weeks now until the presidential election, 27 weeks to the iowa caucuses, and tonight, the democratic candidates are holding part two of their showdown in detroit. political correspondent ed o'keefe is there with who's on stage and what's at stake. >> reporter: it's joe biden's turn on the debate stage tonight, and he says, this time, he won't be so nice. aides tell us he's prepared to "take it to donald trump," and to his democratic opponents, if necessary. >> he will be prepared to defend his

foundation outline to avoid the tree. obviously we built the building according to the president's layout and the tree survived. on may 24, 1973, president richard nixon welcomed 591 prisoners of war recently released by north vietnam at a gala dinner on the south wall -- lawn. it was the largest sit down dinner ever at the white house. unfortunate, washington, d c -- washington, d.c. was deluged by rainbow for the event. the lawn was a sopping turf. we tried every measure possible to dry out the ground. we brought in powerful blowers, thousands of darts of burlap and even dug a trench around the perimeter of the tent to try and drain the area. i remember feeling so bad for the women whose high heels sank into the mud as they walked from the southport co-to the -- south portico to the tent. after working long hours to try and try out the area, we had to come in and read about acres of portico to the tent. waterlogged turf and resell it -- and resod the turf. consider 30,000 pairs of feet scrambling over the lawn on the monday after easter each year. in the 1870's after congress complained about "little feet ruining the grass" at the u.s. capitol, pres

foundation. >> everyone seemed to have an opinion, even the president of the united states. >> here's man who is guilty directly or indirectly of eight murders without reason. >> next day headline l.a. times, manson guilty nixon a turmoil. >> all the while, manson basked in the media talking to any anywhere. >> the judge questioned my sanity. i question his. >> at the end of the 22 week trial, bugliosi told the jurors charles manson's family preached love and literally practiced cold-blooded murder. >> they literally slaughtered the victims in an orgy of murder. >> the verdict came after nine days of deliberations. the jury found all four defendants guilty of first degree murder. >> in my verdict, i wanted to protect society. after all, this is the united states of america and we have a heritage and this is something we must protect. >> they were all sentenced to death. >> is he prepared to die? has he talked to you about death? >> he's already dead. he's already dead. he has no thoughts, he has no opinions. he's just an empty hole, he's infinite. >> tex watson, who did most of the actual killing, was convicted and sentenced to die in a separate trial. but in 1972, the california supreme court ruled the death

nixon's haven't done that so he's mired down in the low 20s in the rankings. throughout all this time his tapes are sitting there with the like a ticking time bomb and finally the foundation says we can't afford to store these. let's give them to the government and i happened to be the guy who in 2013 or whatever it was paging through, came across his nate notes. there were two great white whales. one was watergate and one was the chennault affair. you know that when you go to ocean city in the summertime when we did, you set up a card table and dump a jigsaw puzzle. on the rainy days when you are having coffee in the morning or late at night everyone tries to put a few pieces of the puzzle together. it was my luck to have found this particular piece to add this is the way history was written. >> i lived through the vietnam war.-- campaign which was 1972. is that correct? >> i had to address vietnam but the question is did nixon drag out the war for his own political purposes? i really had to study it. the best that can be said is that he and kissinger coldly and immediately identified vietnam as a backwater and for all of the money and lives being spent there, is not as

finally, the nixon foundation says, we can't afford to store these papers anymore. let's give them to the government. i just happened to be the guy who in 2013, whatever it was, paging through, came across the notes. there were always like two great white whales in the nixon story. this was one of the pieces. you know when you go to ocean city in the summertime, at least when we did, you set up a card table and dump a 1200-piece jigsaw puzzle. on the rain y days or when you'e having coffee, everybody goes by and tries to put a few pieces together. it was my lot to find this particular piece and that's the way history was written. right here. >> i lived through the vietnam war, and i got the impression nixon dragged out the war to use it as a campaign issue in 1972. is that correct? >> of course, i had to address vietnam. the question is, did nixon drag out the war for his own political purposes? and i really had to study it. the best that can be said for nixon is that he and kissinger coldly, immediately identified vietnam as a back water and that for all the money